Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzō (团藏)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Shimura Clan; Root 10
Occupation/Role	Root leader; Hokage Advisor removed from office, with reinstatement later proposed by Hiruzen 21 48
Status	Alive; released from confinement ahead of the approaching war 50
First Appearance	Mentioned in Eiji’s thoughts 3; appears in the Hokage’s office 5

Background / History

Danzo was a student of Tobirama Senju and an old comrade of Hiruzen Sarutobi. He invokes Tobirama’s teachings when condemning the Uchiha and questioning Hiruzen’s decision to place Eiji under Tsunade’s protection 10 59.

As Root’s leader, he recruits ninja from Konoha’s major families, treating his own Shimura Clan especially harshly. His demands provoke complaints among his clansmen 10.

When the Land of Whirlpools fell, Danzo dispatched Root ninja to capture Uzumaki clan members for experiments. He also accumulated preserved Sharingan from dead Uchiha: some died on missions, but many were killed through traps he arranged 5 10.

Appearance

• Right-eye bandage: Wears a bandage covering his right eye 34.
• Clouded eyes: Described while inspecting his preserved Sharingan collection 10.

Personality

Danzo identifies his personal ambitions with Konoha’s interests, reasoning that anything he does for himself also serves the village. His desire to become Hokage drives his attempts to control Kushina and obtain Eiji’s newly revealed dōjutsu 5 6 10.

He treats talented people as assets to seize rather than individuals to protect. Kushina is valuable to him as an obedient future jinchūriki, while Eiji’s Six Eyes become an object of personal greed. Danzo considers himself a safer holder of those eyes than their original owner 5 10.

He reacts angrily when Hiruzen blocks him, repeatedly warning that the Hokage will regret his decisions. He also defies confinement and proposes covertly eliminating political obstacles, even when his fellow senior officials condemn the suggestion 6 21 34 35.

Abilities & Skills

Intelligence Network

• Receives reports through Root, including information supplied by an informant within Anbu 6 10.
• Learns the classified timing of Eiji’s planned visit to the Senju compound, enabling an interception attempt 10 21.
• Supplies Kumogakure with intelligence about Konoha’s deployments and weakened defenses before its invasion 48.

Covert Operations

• Orders Shimura Shio to impersonate Anbu, conceal Root’s involvement, and use force if Eiji refuses to accompany him 10.
• Offers Root as a means of removing pressure from the Daimyo and Mito without leaving traces; Hiruzen and the other officials reject the proposal 35.
• Provides Konoha’s ninjutsu scrolls to the Third Raikage, helping Kumogakure deploy the Four Violet Flames Formation 58.

Command and Recruitment

• Directs Root personnel and demands recruits from Konoha’s major ninja families 10.
• Uses research funding as an incentive when trying to enlist Orochimaru to seize Eiji’s eyes 43.

Equipment / Items

• Preserved Sharingan collection — Pairs of Uchiha eyes stored in sealed culture dishes on metal racks inside Root’s underground facility. Possession of the collection is documented; implantation or personal use is not shown 10.
• Konoha ninjutsu scrolls — Transfers precious village scrolls to the Third Raikage to secure his participation in the operation against Eiji 58.

Relationships

• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Old comrade and political rival. Hiruzen refuses to surrender Kushina or Eiji, removes Danzo from his advisory position, and later supports releasing him for the approaching war 5 6 21 48 50.
• Tobirama Senju — Former teacher whose teachings Danzo cites when expressing hostility toward the Uchiha 10.
• Ryuuzaki Eiji — Target of abduction and eye theft. Eiji regards Danzo as Konoha’s principal internal danger and privately intends to settle matters himself 3 10 21.
• Kushina Uzumaki — Prospective Nine-Tails jinchūriki whom Danzo wants to brainwash into a weapon supporting his bid for Hokage 5.
• Shimura Shio — Shimura prodigy and Root subordinate ordered to abduct Eiji. After his capture, Shio is taken from interrogation and found dead; Tsunade accuses Danzo of arranging the cover-up 10 20.
• Tsunade — Open opponent who protects Eiji, confronts Danzo over Shio’s death, and demands both his punishment and Root’s dissolution 13 20 21.
• Mito Uzumaki — Political obstacle to his plans. Her protection makes Eiji harder to seize, and Tsunade’s threat to involve her forces Hiruzen to punish Danzo 10 21.
• Orochimaru — Refuses Danzo’s offer of research funding in exchange for stealing Eiji’s eyes, choosing to negotiate for biological samples instead 43.
• Third Raikage — Covert collaborator who accepts Danzo’s intelligence and scrolls while privately despising him as a traitor 48 58.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Attempts to Control Kushina and Eiji

Danzo first demands custody of Kushina, arguing that her future Nine-Tails power must be controlled. After Hiruzen refuses, he turns his attention to Eiji’s unknown dōjutsu and ninjutsu, only to be rejected again 5 6.

Learning that Eiji will soon meet Tsunade, Danzo orders Shio to abduct him before the boy gains the Senju household’s protection. Eiji exposes Shio’s false authority and withstands his attacks; Tsunade intervenes, and genuine Anbu take Shio into custody 10 11 12 13.

Shio’s Death and Danzo’s Punishment

Masked attackers remove Shio while the Yamanaka are extracting information from his mind. Pursuers subsequently find his headless corpse. Tsunade accuses Danzo of destroying the evidence, but he denies responsibility and cites the lack of proof 20.

Under pressure from Tsunade and the threat of Mito’s involvement, Hiruzen strips Danzo of his Hokage Advisor position and orders him back to the Shimura grounds. Tsunade also demands that Root be disbanded, but Hiruzen does not grant that demand 21.

Continued Pursuit of the Six Eyes

During the graduation tournament, Danzo leaves confinement and again demands control of Eiji, calling the Six Eyes more dangerous than the Sharingan. Hiruzen refuses and orders him back to his clan grounds after his proposal to use Root against political obstacles 34 35.

Danzo also repeatedly contacts Orochimaru, offering substantial research funding for Eiji’s eyes. Orochimaru rejects the bargain as dangerous and disadvantageous 43.

Collaboration with Kumogakure

Danzo sends a Root envoy to the Third Raikage, then provides intelligence supporting an operation to capture Eiji and Kushina. He also hands over Konoha’s ninjutsu scrolls, enabling the invaders to use the Four Violet Flames Formation 46 48 58.

During the invasion, neither Danzo nor Root appears among Konoha’s defenders. Hiruzen connects their absence with the assassination of on-duty police, destruction of the sensory barrier, and theft of the barrier technique. Although Danzo’s aid to Kumogakure is directly established, his responsibility for the police killings and sensory-barrier sabotage remains Hiruzen’s suspicion 48 58 59.

Notable Quotes

“Hand her over to me, and I'll give you back an obedient weapon!” 5

“Hiruzen, I did it all for Konoha! You'll regret this!” 21